Baltimore County Offers $500,000 to Keep Guinness Baltimore Blonde Brewing Jobs Local

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Baltimore County is willing to spend some serious cash to ensure that the manufacturing of Guinness Baltimore Blonde, and the jobs that come with it, remain in the county.

On April 3, Diageo, Guinness Brewing's parent company, announced they would close the Guinness manufacturing facility in Relay this summer.

The Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe will remain open and will not be impacted, according to Diageo.

The Baltimore Banner reports that Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski sent a letter on Wednesday to Alden Schacher, Diageo's vice president of government relations, saying that the county is willing to provide $500,000 for "significant infrastructure investments required for any local brewer to meet the brewing and bottling specifications associated with the production of Baltimore Blonde."

According to the Guinness website, "Baltimore Blonde is the Open Gate Brewery's flagship beer. Introduced in 2013, this beer is brewed on-site in Baltimore. Golden in color, it's a light brew that's big on flavor."

In the letter, Olszewski says that he hopes Daigeo shares "our interest in preserving local employment opportunities." He added that the county is looking to discuss how to support for future of the Open Gate brewery.

Olszewski is requesting that local brewers be given until September 1 to submit a proposal to continue the local production of Baltimore Blonde.

In a statement provided to the Baltimore Banner, Diageo communications director Luis Rábago said that the company plans to continue brewing Baltimore Blonde until early June.

He added that Diageo is "open to exploring potential opportunities that would help keep production of Baltimore Blonde in the area" and that the "decision will be guided by a business case that also ensures alignment with Guinness' quality standards."